THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS RACE IS ON!

(Students at the SSSFF 2012 Orientation ceremony, Movie Towne)

Over 450 secondary school students and youth group members from Penal to Port of Spain, San Juan to San Fernando, Scarborough to Siparia filled Movie Towne’s largest cinema on Tuesday 27^th March for the Orientation Session of the 2012 Secondary Schools Short Film Festival (SSSFF). The Festival has expanded beyond expectations with increased student interest spanning the entire nation.

In 2012, student participation has grown by 68%: with last year’s winner, Holy Name Convent, returning to defend their title against new entrants such as Holy Cross College and Cowen Hamilton Secondary and 2010’s winner Rio Claro East Secondary also biting at their hells. The race for this year’s 16 awards is definitely ON!

Every student was beaming with excitement and each group is anxious to begin their production based on one of this year’s challenging themes: The Environment: “Making a Cleaner, Better Future”; Peace/ Social Change: “Fixing T&T”; National Identity: “My Islands, What it means to be Trinbagonian” and in commemoration of our 50^th Anniversary of Independence - Cultural Traditions/Preservation: “50 years of Culture: Preserving the T&T Legacy”.

One highlight of the Orientation was an inspiring video message from Shaun Escayg, a son of the soil, who has been the mastermind behind sequences of the Bumble Bee character from Transformers the movie, among others. Students were the first to see his newest show reel and were left in awe but definitely motivated to turn their stories into films when Mr. Escayg encouraged them to make the best films they can.

All students were encouraged to put their best ‘film-foot’ forward as it is hoped that Guadeloupe and the Dominican Republic will join the programme as part of the evolution of the Festival. In this way, there will be opportunities for members from winning schools to travel to Caribbean islands and work with other young persons to express their unifying stories through film.

The TTFC and its partners, the Ministry of Education, the Division of Education of the Tobago House of Assembly, MovieTowne (festival founder) and the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival congratulate all schools and students for their commitment to the Festival and wish each the best in their endeavours. For more information on the Festival or on becoming a corporate partner / sponsor of the Festival please write to info@trinidadandtobagofilm.com

ORIENTATION HERE WE COME!

ORIENTATION HERE WE COME!

After an intense registration period for the Secondary Schools Short Film Festival, the call for submissions was closed on 16th March 2012.

After counting up the application forms, the TTFC is pleased to announce that the tally has gone up dramatically from 2011.

Over 45 schools/youth associations have registered over 60 film groups to participate in the Secondary Schools Short Film Festival 2012!

That totals a mind-boggling 480 students who will receive film production training over the Easter and July/August vacation!

This incredible response comes from schools from as far south as Mayaro, Point Fortin, Moruga and as far north-east as Mathura and Speyside, Tobago.

Schools and youth associations from the North and East-West corridor are also well represented. All participating students have been encouraged to ‘BRING IT!’, that is; bring their best in terms of talent, creativity and energy to the Secondary Schools Short Film Festival programme.

We look forward now to the Orientation Ceremony where all students will be briefed on the Festival process and how the rest of the Festival training will unfold.

Special guest speakers will include:

o Steven M. Taylor, Special Effects Makeup/Director (BA in Film, UWI student)

o Shaun Escayg, Director/Animation Director (Trinidad/LA)

Watch the 33 final student films from 2011 here: http://www.overtimett.com/sssf2011/

For more information on the Secondary Schools Short Film Festival visit: http://www.trinidadandtobagofilm.com/sssff.asp

Secondary Schools Short Film Festival Launched; 2012 Themes Unveiled

Secondary Schools Short Film Festival Launched; 2012 Themes Unveiled

January 24, 2012: The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company (TTFC) today launched the eighth instalment of the Secondary Schools Short Film Festival (SSSFF) with an official ceremony at Movietowne POS. The event featured an address by the Minister of Trade and Industry, the Honourable Stephen Cadiz and also saw the unveiling of the new themes for 2012 and the distribution of prizes of film equipment to last year’s winning schools.

The new themes introduced by Minister of Trade & Industry Stephen Cadiz included:

• THE ENVIRONMENT: “Making a Cleaner, Better Future”
• CULTURAL TRADITIONS/PRESERVATION: “50 years of Culture: Preserving the T&T Legacy”
• NATIONAL IDENTITY: “My Islands, What it means to be Trinbagonian”
• PEACE/ SOCIAL CHANGE: “Fixing T&T"

Schools entering the Festival are required to pick one of the themes and use it to develop a five minute film feature.

The themes are a critical component of the Festival as they are used to encourage the production of TT-centric pieces that reflect national pride. Apart from the fact the richness of local culture is itself great inspiration for film features, the TTFC also uses these themes to instil greater awareness and appreciation for local culture into the young filmmakers. The themes, however, do not emanate solely from the TTFC, but are developed in consultation with the student filmmakers who are invited each year to submit ideas on the topics they would like to explore. In this way, the TTFC can be sure that the final choice of themes will resonate with the students and truly inspire their creativity.

“We view the SSSFF as a valuable training ground for young people,” stated Christopher Laird, TTFC Chairman. “We see it as an opportunity to educate and encourage them to view film as more than just an avenue for entertainment or a fun hobby but as a viable career option. The SSSFF provides them that window into one of the most exciting careers in the world.”

“In addition, technology and social media have made it so much easier to be innovative,” Mr. Laird continued. “Many young people have phones with video capabilities and websites such as YouTube are readily available for anyone to upload their creations. Because of this, filmmaking has become so much more accessible and a career in film no longer has to be a dream.”

The Festival which was pioneered by Movie Towne in 2004 has gained in popularity and participation by schools over the years and has become a highly anticipated event on the extra-curricular calendar. Last year there were 33 entries, up from 24 the year before. “We hope to have a record number of entries this year,” stated Carla Foderingham, CEO of TTFC. “Each year we receive entries for the Festival that demonstrate just how talented and creative our young people are – and some, we are happy to say, have even gone on to study film at the tertiary level. It inspires my confidence that the TT film industry has a bright and promising future.”

“We must acknowledge that this Festival is truly a team effort and the TTFC cannot do it alone,” Carla Foderingham continued. “The success of the Festival would not be possible without the assistance of parents who encourage the students; the teachers who work facilitate these competitions despite an already packed academic calendar; the film practitioners who generously offer their time expertise to mentor and train each team and the corporate sponsors whose gifts make it possible to provide schools with the resources necessary to expose countless generations of students to the world of filmmaking.”

During the event, invited guests had the opportunity to view the winning film from 2011 by Holy Name Convent and a testament to lessons learned and expressions of thanks were given by Ms. Tia Serao (Holy Name Convent, POS – Best Overall Film), Mr. Chryston Floyd (Presentation College, San Fernando – Best Actor) and Mr. Kyle Walcott (former student participant and now practicing filmmakers, Tobago).

For more information about the Secondary Schools Short Film Festival, please visit the TTFC’s website at www.trinidadandtobagofilm.com or call the TTFC at 625-FILM.